Claremont Police Chief Paul Cooper submitted a letter of intent to retire to City Manager Tony Ramos on Wednesday, November 4, according to the city council agenda for Tuesday’s meeting. After 30 years with the Claremont Police Department, Chief Cooper will retire on December 31.

Mr. Cooper, who has served as chief for the last eight years, has agreed to serve as interim police chief until a replacement can be found.

“I believe it is necessary and in the best interest of the Claremont community to enter into an agreement with Mr. Cooper to serve as Interim Police Chief, effective January 1, 2016,” Mr. Ramos wrote in the city council agenda report. “It is my intention to complete the recruitment process prior to the departure of Mr. Cooper in 2016.”

The Claremont City Council will vote on the interim employment agreement at their regular meeting on Tuesday, November 10.

According to city documents, the proposed employment agreement with Mr. Cooper has a total maximum cost to the city of approximately $218,000, including $193,000 for salary and $25,000 in workers’ compensation insurance and Medicare costs combined. Funding for the interim chief employment agreement will be paid for through the operating budget of the police department.

City staff estimates that the interim agreement with Mr. Cooper will result in a savings of approximately $145,000 because additional employee benefits including medical insurance, CalPERS retirement, deferred compensation and other benefits included in the Claremont Management Association (CMA) MOU will not be paid to a permanent chief.

Retired city employees who serve in interim positions are required to be part-time by CalPERS, which limits hours to 916 per year. Due to the timing of his retirement, Mr. Cooper will be able to work close to full-time hours over the term of his employment agreement since it spans two separate fiscal years.

More on Mr. Cooper’s retirement will be included in the Friday, November 13 edition of the COURIER, along with a full city council report.